What The Bleep?

So, I saw an interesting movie yesterday with an old friend of mine.  The movie's called, What The Bleep Do We Know?

The film loosely tells the story of a photographer, played by Marlee Matlin, assigned to photograph a Polish wedding.  She hates weddings because, we find out during the course of the film, her own marriage didn't work out.  (Of course, she was married in the same church as her assignment.)  But none of that has anything to do with what the movie's about.  Because the movie's about, well, reality.

Despite Marlee's travails, the film is structured like a documentary.  About eight or so people intermittently talk about the nature of reality in cuts interspersed with the episodes of the narrative.  Some of these people (who aren't identified until the final credits) are obviously experts in quantum physics, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry, but others are clearly serious students of philosophy, psychology, and religion.  As Marlee goes through her day, she's presented with many profiles on reality (some of which are reminiscent of Brian Greene's PBS string theory series, The Elegant Universe) and we begin to see the "talking heads" explaining the quantum, neuropeptide holism that lies beneath her "everyday world."  There are also lots of funny little creatures (some of whom resemble the spirits in Ghostbusters) running around, representing various neurochemically addictive substances (like sex hormones).

At that point it becomes clear that the filmmakers are alluding to our fundamental inability to comprehend the mystery of human experience in their whimsical title.  They also make it pretty clear that they think all human attempts to date to comprehend divinity are laughably inadequate, comparing our efforts with those of fish trying to describe water.  (I concur.)

In the end, I think the film succeeds.  It certainly makes several important points: that we don't know bleep about what goes on in consciousness; that we have no idea how our emotions and intentions co-create our realities in ways more profound than any of us can imagine; that historically separate categories such as mind/body/spirit are archaic attempts to comprehend a fundamental systemic unity that underlies those distinctions; and, that we are still flailing around in the night in our attempts to comprehend the source and purpose of human life.  Not bad for the Manhattan-adjusted $9 ticket price. 

Now, the bad news.  The folks who appear in the film are all associated with fringe organizations or institutions of one sort or another, most of which are "higher consciousness" oriented.  Easy targets.  So, mainstreamers will clobber them, and the film. 

But that doesn't change the fact that the movie points to some key questions that remain tantalizingly open for exploration. 

And besides, what the bleep do they know, anyway?

Comments

[Johnnie Moore]

I'm looking forward to catching this film.

I have to say I find the basic proposition, as you describe it, attractive. Life is fabulously paradoxial and inexplicable.

I see a lot of management books full of diagrams suggesting that managing humans is really a simple business, just follow the instructions. I've long felt that this just create stress, making us feel bad for not being the smart managers able to make this happen.

Yes, I've read the publicity implying the film is backed by a cult; whether or not that's true, its content sounds fascinating and important.

[Tom Guarriello]

I'll be interested in your take on Bleep, Johnnie.

I, too, find the "follow these rules and all will be well" treatises unbelievable. This model was very popular during the late 80s and 90s (a period in which I was fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time working with a very influential business book publisher) when leaders clearly hungered for ANSWERS. Authors and publishers were all too happy to oblige.

But the fact is, expertise is no longer perceived to reside uniquely in the mind of the Great Leader. "Distributed intelligence" is now seen as revealing a flavor of wisdom invisible to the Top Dog. Any such dog would be wise to listen to the messages coming from the global hinterlands (internal and external to her/his organization) and not to the simplistic answers provided in the guruficatory works cranked out by the practically moribund business book publishing industry.

[Josia]

You have to give them credit - at least this film is a lot easier to understand than the Matrix. What The Bleep is an important milestone for humanity because it will eventually enable a lot more people to have access to the one source of information with ALL the answers - and that is kabbalah. Foremost Kabbalist Michael Laitman from Israel who broadcasts every day live from www.kabbalah.info will be presenting with the people in the film in San Francisco next month. You can contact sfkabbalah@yahoo.com for more info about the event.

[jeremy langhans]

i saw that movie recently. need to see it again, but if i remember correctly ....they give credit to the people at the end & the orgs they are apart of are anything but "fringe".